1973 Topps "1953 Reprints" Complete Set (8 Cards plus 7 duplicates)

The 1953 Topps Reprint set produced in 1973 is one of the most mysterious of all Topps test issues. According to the Standard Card Catalog, some sources say that these sets were distributed as table favors at a Topps banquet. Whatever their purpose, and however they were distributed (if at all), just about all of the known examples in the hobby can be traced directly to Topps creative director Woody Gelman, who worked side by side with Sy Berger from the earliest days of Topps. Woody probably made sure Sy got a batch, and we found these tucked away in Sy's basement where they had no doubt been for decades. The set is not exactly a reprint set, but it did utilize the original 1953 Topps artworks of the players included (which, probably not coincidentally, were among the very artworks Sy had saved, many of which appear in this auction). There is no evidence that this set was ever actually issued in packs. The fifteen cards include a complete set of eight cards plus seven duplicates (#2 Robinson, 4, 5, two 6, 7, 8) featuring selected artworks from the 1953 Topps set. Twelve cards (including an entire eight-card set ) range in grade from Ex to Nr/Mt, the remaining three cards (#3 Furillo, 4 Rosen, and McCullough) are slightly lesser. Keys: #1 Paige (Ex-Mt), two 2 J. Robinson (Nr/Mt and Ex due to 20/80 L/R centering). From the Sy Berger Collection. Total 15 cards. Reserve $200. Estimate $400/$800.SOLD FOR $1,528

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